Off-Day Teams

• With their win in Boston on Wednesday night, the Flyers became the first team since the '75 Islanders to force a Game 7 after losing the first three games of a series. "Now both teams have their backs against the wall," Philly defenseman Chris Pronger said after the 2-1 victory in Game 6. "It's a dangerous position to be in, both for us and them. They're going to come out with everything they've got. It's do or die for them now in Game 7 in their building [on Friday night]." Columnist Phil Sheridan says it would be a shame for the Flyers not to finish this now that they've come this far. [ Philadelphia News/Inquirer]

Western Conference finals

• Sharks coach Todd McLellan has a pretty good idea of what his team will be up against in the Western Conference finals. "[The Blackhawks are] a very good team," McLellan said after a Wednesday practice. "They can strike very fast and often and obviously they're playing at the top of their game." [ San Jose Mercury News]

Tonight's Games

• The Penguins and Canadiens have both been in this position before ... a Game 7 to advance to the next round. The Penguins won two Game 7s last year -- a 6-2 victory at Washington in the Eastern Conference semifinals, and a 2-1 victory at Detroit in the Stanley Cup final to clinch the 2009 championship. Meanwhile, Montreal is coming off of a first-round showing in which they overcame a 3-1 deficit against Washington to beat the Capitals in seven games. [ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

• An unsung hero can easily alter course in Game 7. "It's a funny thing," former Penguins pest and current ESPN hockey analyst Matthew Barnaby said. "And it's not just Penguins history. In big games and in overtimes of those games, it's never the Stars." [ Pittsburgh Tribune]

• Canadiens in familiar spot, hoping to tap into more Game 7 magic. [ Montreal Gazette]

• Canadiens to broadcast game on HD Jumbotron at Bell Centre in Canada. [ Montreal Gazette]

• The Flyers are halfway to becoming the third team in NHL history to win a playoff series after losing the first three games. Toronto accomplished the feat in 1942, and the New York Islanders did it in 1975. "Without a doubt, I would love to be part of the next team to be able to do it," center Danny Briere said. [ Philadelphia News/Inquirer]

Tonight's Game

• Anybody who thinks they have a handle on the Hawks-Canucks series doesn't. Anybody predicting the outcome is guessing. Never has a 3-2 lead felt like a series that's all tied up. The home team has won once in five games. The Canucks had a chance to bury the Hawks in Game 2 and failed. They had a chance to seize control in Game 3 and failed. The Hawks had a chance to clinch at home and failed. In four of the five games, the team that outhit the other lost. [ Chicago Sun-Times]

• Roberto Luongo faced three elimination matches in the Olympics and won them all, culminating in a gold medal for Canada. So here he is again. [ Vancouver Sun]

• The Flyers seem to have found the formula for success. The higher the body count, the better they play. This time, they lost goalie Brian Boucher, and their young offensive star Claude Giroux, but still won Game 6 with a 4-0 victory. [ Philadelphia News/Inquirer]

• Even though Bruins lead series, it feels like they are playing from behind. [ Boston Globe]

Tonight's Games

• This is not a must-win game for the Penguins. Not in any hard-numbers sense, anyway. But the last thing the Penguins want to avoid is a Game 7, where anything can happen. "I'd like to treat it like it's the end of the world," left winger Mike Rupp said. "You can look at it that their backs are up against the wall -- which they are -- but I like to look at it from the standpoint that it is for us, too." [ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

Off-Day Teams

• With Vancouver's season at stake — and with it Roberto Luongo's reputation — the goaltender produced his finest clutch performance in a Canuck uniform since the epic 56-save night three years ago in an elimination game against the Anaheim Ducks. [ Vancouver Sun]

Tonight's Games

• The outlook was grim, doubts were spreading and criticism was rampant. That seemed to be the state of affairs for the Blackhawks a little more than a week ago. How quickly things can change. The Hawks now are on the cusp of advancing to their second consecutive Western Conference finals by eliminating the rival Vancouver Canucks for the second consecutive year. [ Chicago Sun-Times]

Off-Day Teams

• The Penguins have preached the importance of creating traffic in front of Jaroslav Halak, and their plan worked well enough to earn a 3-2 series advantage. Montreal coach Jacques Martin all but admitted that such goals are somewhat unstoppable. [ Pittsburgh Tribune]

Tonight's Games

• Penguins, Canadiens both have the same attitude ... Game 5 is very important to swing the series. The eighth-seeded Canadiens, who waged a last-ditch effort to send the Capitals on their way to summer vacation in the first round, have found comfort in a devil-may-care style of play. [ Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

• Even though the Sharks still have a commanding 3-1 lead, the Red Wings 7-1 win in Game 4 casts some doubts about the Sharks. "I think we move on and it's over," Sharks coach Todd McLellan said. "We have to put it behind us. If we carry that baggage or luggage with us, we'll be behind the 8-ball." [ San Jose Mercury News]

Off-Day Teams

• Simon Gagne had quite a return. What started as a painful shift with 14:10 elapsed in the first OT ended only 30 seconds later with pure jubilation. His goal - and chance to play hero - was the exact reason why he decided to push the envelope and return to his teammates at their most desperate hour. [ Philadelphia News/Inquirer ]

Tonight's Games

• Facing the disgrace of a series sweep on their home ice, it would be surprising if the Flyers didn't find a way to win at least one game. The sweep-avoiding win seems like a fairly common phenomenon. [ Philadelphia News/Inquirer]

• As the heroes seemingly change every night for the Blackhawks during the playoffs, goalie Antti Niemi has emerged as the indispensable constant. Not bad for an inexperienced goalie who has been thrust into playoff spotlight. [ Chicago Tribune]